ON the back of their most promising season in the top grade, the Stingrays of Shellharbour have set about continuing their upwards trajectory in 2021.
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The key to that has been re-signing all the club's core players from 2020 including skipper Kieran Rankmore, Zaan Weatherall, Jake Kamire and Chanse Perham - as well as keeping coaches Brad and Buster Reh at Flinders Field.
On top of that, the Rays, who won two games in 2020, have added props Juvilee Samiu (Shellharbour) and Luke Shiels (Jamberoo), as well as half Troy Errington, to their playing roster.
While most Group Seven Rugby League fans know the damage the two new front-rowers can cause, it is Errington who is expected to be the club's x-factor this season.
After starting his career as a four-year-old at the Canley Vale Kookaburras, Errington progressed through the Parramatta Eels junior representative system before having a stint with the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs' under 20s set-up.
"Being a part of those NRL systems really helped me become the player I am today," Errington said.
"They taught me about the sacrifices you have to make to achieve your goals on and off the footy field."
The now 27-year-old served a two-year suspension by ASADA between 2012-14 for two substances that, while not on the prohibited substances list at the time, have similar chemical and biological affects to amphetamines.
"When I was 19, one of my teammates gave me some of his pre-trainer before a game," Errington said.
"In hindsight, I should have asked what was in it because after that game I was randomly drug tested and found to have traces of a stimulant in my system.
"As disappointing as it was, I took the suspension on the chin, learnt from it and moved on with my life."
Following that, Errington lined up for the Guildford Owls in both the Ron Massey Cup and Sydney Shield, before not playing in 2020 due to COVID-19.
But after spending a season on the sidelines, he was desperate to return to the field - then the Stingrays came calling.
"At the end of last year, Jake [Kamire] who I went to school with at Bass Hill High, got in contact with me and asked if I wanted to come down and play with the Stingrays, as they were on the lookout for another half," Errington said.
"After speaking to the Reh brothers and the wife, I committed to the club, which is really exciting."
Errington, his wife and their twin boys recently moved from Sydney to Shell Cove, as the Rays kicked off preparations for the 2021 campaign.
"While the training sessions have been extremely tough under Brad and Busta, who really know what they are talking about, they've also been really enjoyable.
"Everyone is putting in the hard work to achieve our goal, which is finals footy."
As well as playing finals footy, Errington has also established a number of other goals he'd like to achieve this season.
"As a half, it's up to me to put my teammates in a position to succeed and I feel with my experience and knowledge of the game, as well as my ability to run the ball, I should be able to do that," he said.
"The club is well and truly headed in the right direction and I want to help that in any way I can, especially with so much young talent coming through the ranks.
"I'm determined to win a premiership as a player before I transition into coaching and can't see any reason why it can't be this season with the Rays."
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